Elton John announces 50th anniversary edition of ‘Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy’

Elton John has announced a 50th anniversary edition of his legendary album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.

The reissue package for the 1975 album will include, among other rarities, a 10-track performance from Wembley Stadium in the year of the album’s release.

“Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy was the first album I’d ever made that was autobiographical, and it was the first time we’d gone into the studio with all the songs already written,” John said of the album.

“We rehearsed it as a band, then went in and cut it more or less live. The band were at their absolute peak and you can hear it on the record. I think it’s the best thing we ever did. The songs were strong.”

He added: “Bernie’s lyrics were brilliant, and the atmosphere at Caribou was perfect. Seeing it go to Number One faster than anything I’d ever released felt like vindication, like the culmination of everything Bernie and I had fought for back in those bedsits in London.”

Also included in the reissue, out on October 24, is 2LP and 2CD versions of the album, as well as a 1LP of the Live At Midsummer Music show. A booklet is also included with unseen entries from the singer’s personal diaries. It can all be pre-ordered here.

Today, John is sharing a previously unseen video of him performing the album’s title track on tour in 2005, which you can watch below.

Speaking on the album, Bernie Taupin added: “Of all our recorded output Captain Fantastic has a very special place in my heart. Obviously it was emotionally rewarding as it chronicled a very special time in our lives. I’m not by nature one to wallow in nostalgia but hearing this album once again 50 years on reminds me of how very deep our bond of friendship and creativity ran.”

Elton John appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone UK earlier this year to mark his collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes In Angels?.